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The Priest, Minister of Divine Mercy

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The Priest, Minister of Divine Mercy CONGREGATION FOR THE CLERGY THE PRIEST, MINISTER OF DIVINE MERCY AN AID FOR CONFESSORS AND SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS LIBRERIA EDITRICE VATICANA © Copyright 2011 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana - 00120 Città del Vaticano Tel. 06.698.81032 - Fax 06.698.84716 ISBN 978-88-209-8549-3 www.vatican.va www.libreriaeditricevaticana.com VATICAN PRESS PRESENTATION “It is necessary to return to the confessional as a place in which to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, but also as a place in which “to dwell” more often, so that the faithful may fi nd compassion, ad- vice and comfort, feel that they are loved and understood by God and experience the presence of Divine Mercy beside the Real Presence in the Eucharist”.1 With these words, the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI addressed confessors during the recent Year for Priests, indicating to each one present the importance and therefore the apostolic urgency of redis- covering the Sacrament of Reconciliation, both from their viewpoint of penitents as well as that of ministers. Along with the daily celebration of the Eucharist, the availability of the priest to hear sacramental confessions, to welcome penitents, and to accompany them spiritually when they so request, is the real measure of a priest’s pastoral charity. By their availability, priests give joyful witness and in a certain sense take upon themselves their true identity, redefi ned in the Sacrament of Holy Orders and not reducible to a mere functionality. The priest is a minister, which is to say that he is at the same time both a servant and a prudent dispenser of Divine Mercy. To him is entrusted the serious responsibility “to forgive or to retain sins” (cf. John 20: 23). Through him, and through the power of the Spirit who is the Lord and Giver of Life, the faithful are able to experience today in the Church the joy of the Prodigal Son, who after a life of sin returned to his father’s house in the manner of a servant but was welcomed with the dignity of a son. Whenever a confessor is available, sooner or later a penitent will arrive. And if the confessor continues to make himself available, even stubbornly so, sooner or later many penitents will arrive! Our rediscovery of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, both as pen- itents and as ministers, is a measure of authentic faith in the saving 1 BENEDICT XVI, Allocution to the participants in the Course on the Internal Forum organized by the Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary, 11 March 2010. 3 action of God which shows itself more clearly in the power of grace than in human strategic or pastoral initiatives which sometimes over- look this essential truth. Responding to the appeal of the Holy Father and expressing his profound intent, this aid is intended as yet another fruit of the Year for Priests, to be a helpful instrument for the ongoing formation of the Clergy and an aid in rediscovering the indispensible value of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and of Spiritual Direction. The new evangelization and the ongoing renewal of the Church, semper reformanda, draw their life blood from the true sanctifi cation of each member of the Church. It is clear that sanctifi cation must pre- cede both evangelization and renewal, for it lays claim to and forms the necessary precondition for every effective apostolic effort, as well as for the reform of the Clergy. In the generous celebration of the Sacrament of Divine Mercy, each priest is called to experience for himself the uniqueness and the indispensability of the ministry entrusted to him. Such an experience will help him to avoid the “ever-changing sense of identity” which so often marks the existence of some priests. Instead, his experience will cultivate within himself that sense of wonder which fi lls his heart, for through no merit of his own he is called by God, in the Church, to break the Eucharistic Bread and to forgive the sins of others. With these thoughts, we entrust the distribution and the fruits of this aid to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Refuge of Sinners and Mother of Divine Grace. Vatican City, 9 March 2011 Ash Wednesday MAURO Card. PIACENZA Prefect c CELSO MORGA IRUZUBIETA Titular Archbishop of Alba marittima Secretary 4 INTRODUCTION: TOWARDS HOLINESS 1. “At all times and in every race God has given welcome to who- soever fears Him and does what is right.(85) God, however, does not make men holy and save them merely as individuals, without bond or link between one another. Rather has it pleased Him to bring men together as one people, a people which acknowledges Him in truth and serves Him in holiness”.2 On the journey to holiness to which the Lord calls each one of us (cf. Mt 5: 48; Eph 1:4), God deigns that we come to the help of one another. In this way we become mediators in Christ, as it were, to draw others near to his eternal love. This is the horizon of charity in which the celebration of the Sacrament of Pen- ance and the practice of spiritual direction may be found, and it is they that constitute the object of the present document. Some phrases of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI draw out at- tention to the same theme: “These days, the correct formation of be- lievers’ consciences is without a doubt one of the pastoral priorities”; and he adds: “ ‘Spiritual direction’ also contributes to forming con- sciences. Today there is a greater need than in the past for wise and holy ‘spiritual teachers’: an important ecclesial service. This of course requires an inner vitality which must be implored as a gift from the Holy Spirit in intense and prolonged prayer and with a special train- ing that must be acquired with care. Every priest moreover is called to administer divine mercy in the sacrament of Penance, through which he forgives sins in the name of Christ and helps the penitent to walk on the demanding path of holiness with an upright and informed conscience. To be able to carry out this indispensable ministry, every priest must tend to his own spiritual life and take care to keep himself pastorally and theologically up to date”.3 It is in accord with this line 2 SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gen- tium, 9. 3 BENEDICT XVI, Message to His Eminence Cardinal James Stafford, Major Penitentiary, and to the participants of the XX course on the internal forum promoted by the Apostolic Peniten- tiary (14 March 2009). 5 of thought that that this aid is offered to priests as ministers of the Divine Mercy. Any year dedicated to the memory of the Curé of Ars should leave an indelible mark on the life and ministry of priests. This is especially true of this year which recalls the 150th anniversary of his death (1859- 2009): “[a] Year, meant to deepen the commitment of all priests to interior renewal for the sake of a stronger and more incisive witness to the Gospel in today’s world…”.4 Such interior renewal should reach every aspect of priestly life and ministry and deeply permeate every aspect of their outlook, moti- vation and concrete behaviour. Contemporary circumstances demand witness to a priestly identity lived in joy and hope. 2. The ministry of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which is closely connected with spiritual counselling or direction, tends to- wards recovery of the spiritual and apostolic objectives of both the minister and of the faithful, as a paschal return to the Father, in fi delity to his loving plan for “the fully-rounded development of the whole man and of all men”.5 It implies personally undertaking anew, for the service of others, that journey of interpersonal relationship with God and with the brethren which is realized in contemplation, perfection, communion and mission. The practice of the Sacrament of Penance in all its fullness, as well as spiritual direction or counselling, allows us to live more authen- tically in “joyful hope” (Rom 12:12). It allows us to respect and value human life in all its aspects, to rediscover the importance of the fam- ily and the guidance of young people, of the renaissance of priestly vocations and of an integrally lived priesthood, and of ecclesial and universal communion. 3. The relationship between reconciliation and spiritual direction is based on the urgency of love: “For the love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all; therefore, 4 BENEDICT XVI, Letter Proclaiming a Year for Priests on the 150th Anniversary of the “Dies Natalis” of the Curé of Ars (16 June 2009). 5 PAUL VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio (26 March 1967), 42: AAS 59 (1967), 278. 6 all have died. He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Cor. 5:14-15). This presupposes a particular commitment since the followers of Christ truly “no longer live for themselves” (ibidem), but live in truth and charity. All of the pastoral activity of St. Paul, together with its many dif- fi culties, which he compares to the travail of childbirth, can be sum- marized in the urgency of “forming Christ” (Gal 4:19) in each and everyone of the faithful. St. Paul’s objective was “to make everyone perfect in Christ” (Col 1:28) without exceptions or limits. 4. The ministry of reconciliation and the service of spiritual counsel and direction are contextualized by the universal call to ho- liness which is the perfection of Christian life and “the perfection of charity”.6 Pastoral charity in the truth of priestly identity should cause the priest to direct all of his ministry and ministrations towards holiness thereby harmonizing the prophetic, liturgical and diaconal as- pects of his ministry.7 An integral part of priestly ministry is the disposition to guide the baptized towards the perfection of charity.
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